My time of Dying

Chapter 9

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When Booth came too surrounded by beeps and wires, it was a little disorientating. Then his actions came rushing back.

"You stupid son of a …" He muttered to himself, moving to smack himself in the head until he heard a cord snap and the machine beside his head went mental. "Oops."

A nurse came rushing in quickly followed by a doctor. He looked at them sheepishly, "Sorry."

The nurse smiled, "its ok, just glad you're awake." She turned off the machine.

The doctor picked up his chart and quickly scanned it for a name. "Ah, Mr. Booth," he scanned again for a list of ailments, "it seems you have 3 broken ribs. Judging from your medical history, you should know how to handle the care of broken bones, but we would like to keep you in for the next couple of days to ensure no further damage sustained from the crash." With that he turned to walk out the door.

"Wait! What crash?" Booth asked. He remembered arresting Angela, seeing Bones, harassing some people at the diner, trying to shoot Hodgins, gun going off… after that it was a little blank.

The doctor turned back. "You got knocked out and drove you vehicle into a helicopter. Nurse, check his vitals and make sure he's comfortable."

"Hodgins, Ange. Shit!" He could remember most now. "Nurse, was a lady brought in with me?"

"Yes. Bullet wound."

Booth's head was spinning, "I shot Angela." He sunk into the pillows, guilt and remorse consuming him. "I was fighting her off, she didn't want me to hurt Hodgins, and the gun went off."

The nurse was watching him out of the corner of her eye, just a little concerned about being alone in a room with a man that shot a girl. Sure he was damn nice to look at. "She will be fine." She said suddenly wishing she had kept her mouth shut until he looked up at her, so hopeful.

"Really, she will be ok?"

"Fine, sir." She half smiled, "Now you need to sleep."

"No wait. Before you go, my girlfriend was brought here to have our baby."

"Mr. Booth, a lot of women are brought here to have babies. Do you have a name? I can look for you."

"Temperance Brennan." He stopped, "Wait its Lynda; I can't remember her last name."

The nurse nodded before leaving, just mildly confused.

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"Evening Sam," Lynda was still staring out the window into the dark. Zach and Jack were still staring at Deputy Director Sam Cullen, slack jawed and confused.

"Lynda. Congrats on your daughter. A daughter is truly a blessing."

"Thanks. I have made arrangements to leave the country; you don't need to worry about me any more." She turned to face the man who had orchestrated her entire 'death'.

"Sorry but this time we will organize the safe house and new identity. And this time, you will not tell where you are or give them updates every month. You almost got discovered through phone taps on Angela's phone."

She sat still on the bed, seething.

"Now I have to clean up the mess left by your friends and your love sick puppy."

"Excuse I told Angela, so that the body you gave me would not be discovered as a fake. And I only told Angela. Maybe if I had told Booth, My daughter would have a father and this mess could have been avoided."

"I am sorry about your friends but you should have stayed quiet. We both know you would never rob Booth's son of his father. Not after what you went through." He paused to look at his watch. Lynda sunk into her pillows almost defeated. "If Australia is your destination, you will be leaving in 4 hours."

"No, I will wait until I know that Ange is ok." She looked at Jack, "And I go to their wedding."

"No, in 24 hours you and your daughter will be landing in Brisbane." Cullen flicked his phone open, ready to make a call.

"No." she crossed her arms across her chest, "I haven't seen one hint of this so called threat. I will stay until I feel it's necessary to leave."

Jack felt it was his turn, "You knew? Booth was blaming Angela for something you did and yet you didn't stop him? You knew she was alive and where she was, that she was having Booth's baby yet you didn't feel it necessary to let anyof us know?"

"Jack, it was necessary that Temperance 'die' so that we could keep her safe."

"Safe. To keep her safe. Yet here we are in a hospital. She almost died. Her baby almost died. And your Agent tried to kill Angela. I still don't even know if she is alive."

"I understand your frustrations, but she should have never told Angela of her existence and you would have all been safe. Not my problem."

Zach pushed Jack into a chair to stop him from punching Cullen, but Lynda jumped into the fray.

"Not your problem. Who was it that knocked on my door, told me to gather my things; I would be leaving the next night? 'Don't tell anyone'. It took my 15 years to let these people into my life. 15 years to let a new family gather around me. I was told their were many different types of family and you wanted me to walk away from them just like I was walked away from." She was visibly shaking and Cullen closed his phone this call could wait. "You gave me money, a name and a body. You told me to burn my life away."

Jack was silently cheering her on. Zach looked shell shocked. Cullen was now defeated.

"No. I want to live to live my life, whether I am Lynda or Temperance. I want my family around."

"Fine, have it your way. I just wanted to protect you and your child, the way I couldn't protect mine."

She relented a little. "Sorry. But I never got a chance to say goodbye then and you were going to take it away again. I am just a little upset. It has been a big day. Can I at least stay until the wedding?"

"Ok you have the six weeks of your recovery." He turned to Jack, "Is that enough time?"

"I hope so. Depends on Ange, I don't even know what is going on if she is even alive."

"She is Mr. Hodgins." They all turned to doctor poking her head around the door. "She is out of recovery and asking for you. Please come." She turned and walked off.

Jack's face lifted and the years he gained in the waiting room melted away, "Coming."

Lynda smiled too. "Six weeks is fine."

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After pretending to sleep and eavesdropping on al the nurse's conversations, Booth had discovered where Bones was and was itching to see her. He really needed to apologise. He was exceptionally glad he had the smile no one could resist as it only took him 10 minutes to sweet talk the nurse into letting him use a motorized wheel chair to see her.

"If that is not your girlfriend; or if she is sleeping, I want you to go straight back to bed." He was told firmly and then sent on his way.

He was confident that she was the one they were talking about and that she would still be awake. It was only 10 pm she would never be asleep this early.

His new wheels were fun he decided as he neared her door. He could hear the soft cries of a baby and the soft murmurings of the mother. This made him smile. He knew she would make an exceptional mum. 'Just a release of hormones, my ass.'

He watched the blonde version of the woman he had missed dearly over the past 7 months.

"Booth, you can come in." She called to him. Her senses her as sharp as ever when it came to feeling his presence.

He rolled forward, stopping a meter from the bed.

He watched her face as she held their daughter. Her skin was still covered in bruises and deathly pale, but he knew she had never looked as beautiful as in this moment. "I'm sorry," he blurted out.

She didn't even look up, "You were scared. I understand, you are still not forgiven for any of this and you will have to beg forgiveness from Angela and the others."

He nodded, "I expected that." Turning to leave he didn't even realize that she was holding the tiny bundle of pink cloth out to him.

"Aren't you even going to hold her?" Her expression was quizzical.

"Am I allowed?" The motor stopped, still not turning to look at them.

"She is yours. Look if you don't want her, then that's fine she doesn't even have to know that you are daddy. I just want her to feel her fathers love just once in her life even if it's just for a minute or two." He faced her; a small smile on his face. "Please Seeley."

Holding his daughter made this entire experience feel worth it, she was the light at the end of the tunnel. She was so small, but she was rather early. At least by his rough calculations. "Bones?"

"Yes," she was so relieved to hear the nick name he had given her. At the same time it made her feel scared that when she had to leave again it would just cause more dramas.

"Have you named her yet?"

"No, I thought I was having a boy. I only had boy names picked." She squirmed, desperate to ask his opinion, yet apprehensive. "Why? What did you have in mind?" Her love for this man winning.

"Aurora."

"You want to name her after the dawn?"

"Yes. A new beginning." He smiled, "I also really liked Sleeping Beauty."

"Aurora." She returned his smile. "I like it. I will make sure they keep that when we get our new names."

He spluttered. He didn't want them to leave again.

"Seeley, don't make it harder. We will be here for the next six weeks. We can discuss it then."

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He had slept well that night. He had six weeks to convince her to stay. Holding Aurora was a defining moment for him. She truly felt like a new beginning, though he knew he still had a few dark parts left to weather. One of them he knew was coming up as he trudged down the hall to face the woman he put in the hospital the next morning.

Jack greeted him at the door, "She's been expecting you. You're a lucky man, if she wasn't such a forgiving woman, your ass would be in jail."

Booth nodded. He knew this.

Angela looked paler than Bones had done last night. Surgery had gone well for her and would be well enough to release in a couple of days.

"Hey spunky," Angela grinned from the bed. Booth didn't return the smile, he hovered in the door way. "Come here please."

A nudge from Hodgins got him past the threshold. "Hey Angela." He stood there shuffling his feet. No matter how many times he practiced his apology it never felt enough.

"I'm glad you are a shit sniper," Angela started.

Booths head snapped up. "What?"

"You heard me. A shit sniper. Glad of it too. I wouldn't be alive if you were any good." She smiled.

"I'm sorry Angela." He bowed his head and mumbled his next words. "I really lost my mind didn't I?"

"Yes." She was really not in the mood for his angst, "Booth I don't blame you. This was not your fault."

He shook his head. "I arrested you. I tied handcuffed you to the car and tried to shoot your fiancé. I shot you!"

"Are you hearing yourself? Me, Me, Me. Look I am ok and it was a silly mistake." She grimaced.

"Are you ok?" Booth didn't like that look.

"Yeah. I am sorry for kicking you in the head. And not telling you when I got her letter. She seemed angry at you…"

"Ange, stop it was never your place to apologise. And yes she was angry at me. I told her I didn't love her."

"Idiot."

"I know. How can I make it up to you?"

"Make it up to me? You lied to her not me. But I would like it if you could be at my wedding?!?"

"I can go?"

"My day. I want you there. And I want you to make it up to her before she has to go again."

"Deal." He stood there unsure of his position. "I am sorry Ange."

"I know. I think I am going to get some sleep now." She yawned for effect. "Can you get Hodgie for me?"

Booth nodded. "Hope you feel better soon."

Angela yawned again. "Yep. Hope so."

Jack walked in as Booth walked out. "You sure bout that sweetie?"

"Yes. I am." He was still agitated. "Honey what would you have done in his position. I had taken off pregnant, after we had an argument?"

"I wouldn't have kidnapped your best friend." He answered sullenly.

"Yeah I know Bren would have kicked your ass if you had tried that."

"Maybe." He smiled. "You really do have the most beautiful soul."

"I love you Jack. I can't wait to marry you." She looked at the clock. "I think we will start planning tomorrow. Today I just want to spend with you."

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Look I am a liar. Nobody died. Ange forgives to easy. And it wasn't Booth's fault at all.

I feel I have dragged this dead horse long enough. One more chapter and I will finish. Did have an idea bout a sequel involving the threat she was running from. Feedback welcome on this idea.

Next Chapter will be the wedding and leaving for Australia and a time for some BB.